Hinged leg for folding beds



L. A. BROWN. HINGED LEG FOR FOLDING BEDS. APPucATloN r|Lo1uNE1a,|s19.

15563315, Patented Dec. 28,1920.

S C g V/llI- iii gwvefntoz LANVILLE A. BROWN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

Einem) Lne roza romaine BEDS.

Lessinia.

Speciiicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Application 'filed :Tune 18, 1919. Serial N. 305,146.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, LAN'viLLn A. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in thecounty of Jackson and State of Missouri, have -V.in-vented certain new and useful improvements in Hinged Legs for Folding Beds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to 'which it appertains to malte and use the same.

This invention relates to hinged legs for folding beds and has for its object a hinge that will automatically operate by gravity and at the same time give a symmetrical appearance in a folded or unfolded position or during the operation thereof, and when the bed is let down or opened the leg will automatically lock in place in a rigid position and have the appearance of a straight or unhinged leg.

There have been numerous hinged legs designed to swing open and lock in the down or open position of a bed, but the greatest objection is they yare bulky, unsightly and unstable.

rlfhe object of the present invention is to provide a folding bed leg with a hinge that is made within the leg, the hinge being provided to lock in the center of head castings having the same shape as the bed post and a shoulder in each head casting bearing against each other to prevent the leg from having any play or free movement.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, a sleeve casting to lit into the foot piece of a bed and having integral therewith two bosses spaced apart with a pin fixed therein, a sleeve casting to fit into a folding leg having a hinge plate with a lock to lock into the first mentioned casting and between the two bosses of said first casting, the castings shaped to conceal the hinge and lock of the folding bed, and a slot in the hinge plate to allow the folding bed leg to become disengaged from the bed leg when the bed is raised or folded.

ln the drawings Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of a bed folded with the improved hinged leg suspended in the disengaged position and showing the symmetrical appearance 1t presents.

Fig. 2 is a view of the foot of a bed with the improved hinged leg attached, illustrating the symmetrical appearance it has to the ordinary bed where the leg is unhinged or rigid.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view ofV Fig. 2. f 60 Fig. l is an enlarged view of the hinged leg with certain parts broken away to show the construction of the interior.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of Fig. 4 taken on line 4 4.

The bed 1 may be of any make or construction with the foot piece 2 having portions of the tubes not shown between points 3 and l cut away. This prepares the foot piece tubes 5 and leg tubes 6 for the attachgg ment of the improved hinge.

The head casting 7 is hollow and has two integral bosses 8 spaced apart therein which contains a pin 9 driven therein, the head 7 of the casting conforming to the size and shape of the tube of the foot piece with the exception of the side on which the leg swings inward, and has a sleeve 10 to tit into the tube while the shoulder 11 abuts thereagainst. 30

The head piece 7 has a shoulder 12 formed thereon on the opposite side from where the leg swings inward and is shaped to conform to the shoulder 13 and hinge plate 14 integral with the head casting 15, the head 35 casting 15 conforming to the size and shape of the legs 6 and having a sleeve 17 to t therein with a shoulder 18 to abut against the leg.

The hinge plate 1e is provided with a slot 90 19 and swung between the bosses 8 on the pin 9 and has a locking lug 2O integral therewith and beyond the slot adapted to engage the opening 21, in the head of the casting 7, the slot being long enough to allow the locking lug 20 to disengage the opening 21 and swing free of the head 7 when the leg is swung into a closed position.

It is obvious from the above description that the device can be attached to any bed having a hollow leg, or a leg that can be hollowed out. lt is obvious that when the bed is let down from the folded to the unfolded position that the leg will swing by gravity into position for the locking lug 20 105 to engage the opening 21 and when the leg touches the floor and the bed rests its weight upon it the lug will engage the opening and form a uniform stiif leg which is absolutely rigid, the shoulders 12 and 13 andy pin 9 110 forming bearings that eliminate play in any direction. This eliminates the common and well known loose jointed beds that are on the market today.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In hinged folding legs, a head casting conforming f to the shape and size of the tube of a foot piece of a bed, a pair of bosses spaced apart Within said casting7 a pin connecting said bosses, an internal integral annular flange in said head casting above said bosses and forming a hole approximately inthe center of said head casting with the axis of the hole disposed in the direetion of the axis of the head casting7 a second head casting conforming to the shape and size of a foldlng leg, a hinge plate integral therewith and protruding upwardV lofsaidfirst vheadcasting, and said head castings shaped to t each other to form an appearance of astra-ight tubular leg with the exception .of Vthe portion on the folding side when the legis swung into open position with the weight of the bed resting on it.

f i LANVILLE A. BROWN. 

